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General Repair Principles Following Posterior Cranial Base Surgery

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Skull Base Reconstruction

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Abstract

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is one of the most common and reducible complications following the middle cranial fossa, retrosigmoid, or translabyrinthine approach. Its incidence in the retrosigmoid approach can be as high as 30%. The source of leakage includes the incision, a laceration of the auditory canal, perforation of the tympanic membrane, and open-air cells (mastoid, petrous apex, labyrinth, and internal auditory canal). Thus, it manifests as rhinorrhea, otorrhea, or drainage through the surgical incision. Consequently, surgeons had developed various closure techniques and have been using different autologous (fat, muscle, fascia, and bone) and synthetic materials during posterior skull base reconstruction. In addition, multiple-layer closure is performed to reduce the risk of CSF leakage.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

    Mehdi Abouzari, Karen Tawk & Dae Bo Shim

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Goyang, South Korea

    Harrison W. Lin & Hamid R. Djalilian

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  1. Mehdi Abouzari
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  2. Karen Tawk
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  3. Dae Bo Shim
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  4. Harrison W. Lin
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  5. Hamid R. Djalilian
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Correspondence to Hamid R. Djalilian .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Neurological Surgery, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Edward C. Kuan

  2. Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA

    Bobby A. Tajudeen

  3. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Neurological Surgery, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Hamid R. Djalilian

  4. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Neurological Surgery, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Harrison W. Lin

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Abouzari, M., Tawk, K., Shim, D.B., Lin, H.W., Djalilian, H.R. (2023). General Repair Principles Following Posterior Cranial Base Surgery. In: Kuan, E.C., Tajudeen, B.A., Djalilian, H.R., Lin, H.W. (eds) Skull Base Reconstruction . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27937-9_25

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